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Rushden Echo & Argus, 1st October 1937, transcribed by Kay Collins
New Rushden Church
Full Gospel Cause That Began With a Mission
The opening of the new Full Gospel Church in Wellingborough-road, Rushden, on Saturday, will establish an important landmark in the history of a movement whose growth has been rapid.
Although the Full Gospel Church has no definite founder, Pastor Squire, who will open the doors of the new hall, is a pioneer of the movement, which originally began with the amalgamation of isolated undenominational churches with the same beliefs, who invited sympathisers to a conference at Birmingham about thirty years ago. There are now churches all over the world, 400 being in this country, and 250 ministers in the British Isles alone. The churches are all self-supporting and self-governing, there being no central governing body.
The movement in Rushden began in 1933 with evangelistic and divine healing meetings at the Windmill Hall, conducted by Pastor Squire. Paston and Mrs. Whitehouse then took over the work, and had a difficult task, owing to the fact that they had no definite meeting place, A room in Cleaver’s Chambers, in the High-street, was eventually secured, and it is there that the pioneer work has continued. Pastor Whitehouse was formerly in the Methodist ministry.
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Door to Cleaver's Chambers (left) at 36 High Street
in 1973 when George Street Corner was demolished. |
The climbing of 44 steps to their place of worship was a great hardship to some of the older members, and in June this year the land for a new church was purchased at the corner of St. Marys’-avenue and Wellingboro-rd, the contract being given to Messrs. T. Swindall and Sons.
Visitors from Coventry, Bedford, Northampton and Peterborough will be among those present at the opening, and the Rev. E. E. Bromage will represent the Free Church Council, to which the Full Gospel Church now belongs. Mr. Whitehouse has been promised the use of the Independent Wesleyan Schoolroom for any overflow.
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